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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · march · bank · season · wax · plane · current · bound

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bank — for money
  3. season — of the year
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. march — the month
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. season — in sport
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bank — of a river
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bank — for money
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bound — tied together
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bound — certain
  23. current — happening now
  24. plane — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com